The Blood of the Herald
by NukeMyWaffle
Summary: Fuuka Academy is the best of the best with students like Hao and Asakura, Hotaru Tomoe and so many more along with teachers like Light Yagami, Motoko Kusanagi and others! However, one of the students is acting odd...is this happy life at school be a lie?
1. First Period

Hey! Nuu-chan has returned! She has laptop, 8 gig flash drive and wifi! Fear her all mighty reach!!!!

Uh, sorry, just so happy to be submitting again! I got all 3 mentioned items at Christmas and so, that's when THIS little concoction came along into actual writing and not just an idea.

Okay, starts out kind of slow but bear with it. You'll get to meet all of Hotaru's teachers this way and what each thinks of her. This is a Hotaru-centric fic, since there's not enough in the world, but I will be shining the light on various othehr chars as well as possible cameos by the OCs of my friends and myself.

For the "WANT A CAMEO?" option for you to be in my story, go to my Deviant Art account, the link should be on my profile. It'll be a journal labeled with the previous question. If you don't have a DA account, either make one or read the part with a double star!

**AGES:** (For Naruto, it's mainly the start of the Time Skip (aka Shipudden) ages)

Hotaru/Usa/Naruto/Yoh/etc--15

Natsuki/Mai/Sai/Neji/etc--16

Suzaku/Lelouch/Mori/Kari/etc--17

Nunnally/Lyserg/Jeanne/etc.--14

**NOTES:**

-No prosthetics (yet)

-No Death Notes/DN Shinigami (yet)

-No Hime/Orphans (yet)

-No Senshi/Celestial Warriors (yet)

-No Alchemy/Britannian Empire (YET)

-No nothing super powered or mystical variety as of YET (As I said, it starts out kind if slow)

**A QUICK WARNING:** This is NOT how the entire story will go but these beginning chapters will be VERY IMPORTANT in the interactions later on, so **_DO NOT SKIP AHEAD_**!

* * *

Ghost in the Shell: SAC/Full Metal Alchemist

Mai-Hime/Shaman King/Death Note/Code Geass

Sailor Moon/Fushigi Yuugi/Naruto/Bleach/Karas/InuYasha

**"The Blood of the Herald"**

-

-Chapter 1: First Period-

"Good morning, class. I hope you all slept well last night." Light Yagami greeted, entering classroom 1-B. The students were still milling about, since Light was technically 3 minutes late. "Come now, is this any way to greet your homeroom teacher? Come on, kids—in your seats, in your seats. We need to get our act together before we get complaints from the classrooms around us."

Light watched his students settle in their seats with a fond smile. Being 23 years old with brunette hair and brown eyes, Light had been declared a genius when he was in elementary school. A lot of people believed he'd move up in the world from just being a detective's son. Everyone was surprised when he became the English Literature teacher at Fuuka Academy. Light was _happy_ at his post, getting to help the next generation mold their potential and promise into intelligence and skill.

His class held several promising individuals, like Sakura Haruno, Yukino, Uryuu Ishida, Orihime Inoue and the class ghost, Hotaru Tomoe—er, _Senju_, a slip up many teachers were still making. Each student was special but these kids simply blossomed…though, only the majority of those listed were happy with it. Hotaru seemed so indifferent, like she couldn't care less about her scores or her work. The girl had the brains to even outwit Shikamaru Nara of 1-E and Shino Abarai, Izuru Kira and Momo Hinamori of 1-A.

At first glance, Hotaru seemed like any other teenage girl with some good looks and a bit of an attitude but you had to _really_ look at her to see what made her _worth_ looking at. Her straight black hair was cut about a quarter inch above her shoulders and pulled into a semi ponytail with her bangs feathering her forehead and wisps by her ears and framing her face. Her amethyst eyes were framed by sleek oval glasses and lush black lashes. Her delicate eyebrows could be quite sharp and were absolutely perfect. Her lips were colored with a deep rose colored gloss and her long nails were French manicured with pretty white glittery designs and a single white rhinestone. Her porcelain colored skin was flawless as far as Light could tell and her lush, curvy body was already _perfect_ in _all_ the right places.

She was dressed in the Fuuka Academy girl's summer uniform except she wore a dark wine colored shirt underneath her white dress shirt. The dress shirt was unbuttoned enough to show off the shirt and still stayed closed. Her vest was open, helping hide the fact that she had such a perfectly slender hourglass figure. Her skirt was actually an inch and a half _longer_ than that of her female classmates' for the sheer fact she was mainly all _leg_ when it came to her height. She wore knee high socks and mid calf boots that laced up the front, mostly personal preference than necessity.

From her ears hung chandelier hoops that matched her top and around her neck was a simple black ribbon, tied in a bow at the front of her throat. Both emphasized the fact that Hotaru was paler than even Hinata Hyuga of 1-A…and yet, they strangely suited her, given it was her personal sense of style.

It seemed to Light that she didn't really understand her effect on people. She somehow found a way to appear ordinary and get looked over like she wasn't really there. Those who _were_ aware of her could _not_ look away. It was like the short list of ex-boyfriends the girl had: sometimes she just affected someone a little _too_ much.

It was all a little too true when one realized she didn't let anyone get close to her, not even someone she was dating. She didn't have very many friends and the few she did have were kind of like her. However, there could _never_ be anyone _like_ her in a hundred lifetimes.

Now, if you had asked Light why he was paying so close attention to one student, he'd say that he was worried about her. That they had been alike when he was a kid, keeping himself closed up enough to protect himself but it wouldn't be the truth, just a _very_ convincing lie. The truth was one that was _far_ more taboo.

Light Yagami had a _crush_on his 15-year-old student.

It wasn't because she had a great body—there were other girls in the school with the same problem—nor was it because she reminded him of himself in his youth. It was hard to explain but if Light had to pick _one_ thing, it would have to be that there was something about her he wanted to do something about, like she was damaged in some way. The thought was both startling true and insanely absurd, since Hotaru seemed far beyond her years in both maturity level and intelligence, but it was what came to Light's mind.

Of course, the _last_ person to say that she was damaged goods had been her most recent ex and whether from her or by the hands of another party, he was currently in the hospital. Light wasn't sure what exactly happened, except that Hotaru had nothing to do with it. She wouldn't go to such extreme measures to prove a point.

But then again, how could he say for sure?

"Miss Senju, would you kindly pay attention to what's going on _inside_ the classroom, instead out the windows, please?" Light inquired, doing roll without so much as a glance at his students. He knew who was there and who wasn't from the moment he stepped into class. And it was typical to look up and find Hotaru half leaning back in her seat and staring out the window with as much indifference and utter disinterest that she expressed when it came to schoolwork…or anything else, now that Light thought about it.

There were only a few others who shared this expression: Hao Asakura, thought it was only in his eyes, who wasn't quite like his twin brother Yoh, despite being in the same class, 1-D; Sasuke Uchiha, who's placid mood would turn on a dime if he was bothered; Miyu Greer, a 16-year-old adopted by the catholic Father on school grounds; and Sai, a 16-year-old artist who's orientation went towards his own gender, as far as anyone else could tell. And it bothered Light that out of everyone at Fuuka Academy, Hotaru's friend happened to be the _last_ in that list.

Was it because Sai was gay? No…no, it had to be something else…something Light wasn't seeing.

"Miss Senju, if I have to tell you again, you _will_ be spending some of your precious freedom after school with me in detention." Light said a little more firmly. Hotaru closed her eyes and looked away from her window, opening them again as she looked at her teacher. "That's much better, thank you."

As usual, Hotaru didn't say anything and just closed her eyes, like she was bored. Of course, Light knew she hadn't always been this way. He had seen her as a child when he had been in school. She had been cheerful, happy and smiled all the time. Then something happened recently to get her to close up like an anemone sensing danger, taking all that wonderful color that was her self expression and hiding it away. It hadn't been the deaths of her mother, father, family friend or grandmother nor had it been moving in with her paternal cousin. There was something within the last year or so that had totally changed the way Hotaru was behaving.

In all honesty, it worried Light to the bottom of his soul.

"Now, I hope everyone did their homework last night." Light replied, picking up the box of chalk to get the piece he had been using. There were some soft groans that told Light some of them hadn't. It was understandable but Light couldn't excuse it. "Now, now. None of that. All those who didn't do their homework can either receive a zero for the day or pick up a 'late assignment slip' from me to turn it in before school for half credit."

Light, of course, said the same thing every morning but it hadn't gotten at all old, since the ones who needed those late assignment slips usually varied. His shining stars, however, had rarely needed one and Hotaru hadn't needed any. Hell, Light usually found her assignments in his box the next morning when he arrived at school.

"Let's see, where did we leave off yesterday?" Light thought aloud, looking at the black board for a moment. "Oh, that's right: the American novel, _Cannery Row_…"

Hotaru wasn't listening, letting it just go in one ear out the other but she'd remember every word Light said so he wasn't worried about the lesson. She'd sit like that, lounging a little in her seat with her eyes closed and not fall asleep. Light doubted if she _ever _slept but she wasn't like his college roommate Rue Ryuzaki, who had bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep _he_ got. She always seemed so perfectly awake, never drowsy or tired.

It made Light wonder what she did with herself when she couldn't sleep. Did she read? Did she just surf the web? Did she go out and sit in a club all night? Did she have a whole other side to herself that no one at this school ever saw?

But here was the biggest question of all: did it _really_ concern him?

* * *

Wow...a 23-year-old crushing on a 15-year-old instead the other way around....

Anyhoo:

There's something up with our Firefly. Pay close attention to how she interacts with people and how people interact with her. It'll be very important. Also, if you need to understand what the HELL do I mean by the whole "Senju" thing, that'll be in my DA journal as well as my Cameo offer.

Anyway, I is back! Do Read and review, plz!

...cuz I need to find where the disk containing my other story disappeared to...

--NMW


	2. Second Period

Welcome to chappy 2!

**shinnstellar13**: Sorry, not revealing nothing but I'm not planning on it. It depends how the story WANTS to be written.

**Harpygirl91**: Damn, you're becoming a regular, aren't ya? ^.^ Yeah, I'm not all that surprised by the ages either. It was my idea to have Light crush on Hotaru but as students but it came out with him being the teacher instead! Talk about taboo, ne?

* * *

-

-Chapter 2: Second Period-

Shunsui Kyouraku was a laid back kind of math teacher but he never tolerated anyone sleeping or slacking off in his class. Hotaru had been transferred to his class from another, stressing out her previous math teacher. Of course, only the _staff_ knew that's why Ms. Haruna was on medical leave. The students didn't and didn't really seem to care. Apparently, the woman had always been a bit high strung after working as the principal at Crossroads Middle School.

And Kyouraku now saw _why_ Hotaru had stressed out the poor woman.

Apparently, Hotaru didn't actually _do_ anything in her classes, sitting with her eyes closed or staring out the window and lounging a bit in her seat. It bothered Kyouraku that she'd just sit there and still have the _highest_ scores in the entire _district_. He was a new teacher to this school, one of many, and there would be new electives now so he knew that he wouldn't be alone in his frustrations.

Walking the rows to see how his students were doing on their class work, Kyouraku paused at Hotaru's desk, seeing her math book at the side of her desk, a mechanical pencil apparently marking her place. She wasn't even looking at him but out the window at something he couldn't see and she made no protest as he picked up her book. He opened it to her pencil and saw soft red marks on certain problems—_corrections_ and simplified word problems in the margins.

It took Kyouraku a minute to realize she had marked her place with an erasable red corrections pencil and that her math book wasn't _hers_. She had been correcting someone _else's_ work for them and a quick glance at the inside cover told him it belonged to a snowboarding addict nicknamed "Horo-Horo" by his sister and friends.

Horo-Horo's real name was Horokeu Usui and he was in Kyouraku's homeroom, 1-E. The boy must've stopped Hotaru in the hall during the class change and begged her to help him get a better grade in this class, since he had a C minus and he had to be at a B plus by next month or he'd be in _major_ trouble with his dorm master, a man named Miles.

It surprised Kyouraku that she'd do this for someone else as he looked at a small note taped below the name. It was from another student, from Lyserg Diethyl, asking that she help Horo-Horo out, as a favor to Lyserg. Lyserg was a sweet boy with a gentle heart and he could obviously get Hotaru to do at least one thing for him. And it wasn't as clear if she had a soft spot for the boy but Kyouraku doubted it, for some reason.

"Miss Senju, kindly show me your math book, please." Kyouraku request, getting the doodled on workbook instantly from her bag. The doodles were glyphs and symbols that seemed have been repeating over and over in her head. It continued on the blank spaces of the section chapters and in the margins but that wasn't what surprised him the most.

Hotaru had _finished_ every problem in the book. She had written out each one in small but readable print and dated when she did each one. It looked like she had done the _entire_ book in less than 3 days. What the hell had she been doing that she felt she had to do every problem?

Didn't this girl sleep?

No, she probably didn't. She reminded him a lot of someone he had gone to school with, a young man who never seemed to get tired or worn out so he did all the year's work when normal people were sleeping. It wasn't a common thing, insomnia without showing the signs of being exhausted and without the aid of pills or anything else, just natural energy.

Kyouraku handed Hotaru back her book and continued his rounds, leaving Horo-Horo's book on her desk. As he checked on the other students, Kyouraku couldn't help but think of those glyphs and symbols. He knew he had seen them before but he couldn't place _where_ or _when_. Each one had been perfect, even when drawn multiple times and on edges. It looked like one continuous flow of forgotten meanings.

Where could she have learned those? How could she replicate them over and over again without a mistake like that? Did she know what she was doing, what she was drawing? Dare he call her to stay after class for no reason at all in front of her peers who seemed to want any reason to give her a difficult time?

No, he'd have to speak to her after class, before she left. He had to ask her about those damn doodles of hers. Of course, he'd have to be quick, since the other teachers said she could disappear right before their eyes. However, those who said she disappeared were countered by those who would insist that Hotaru was _still_ standing _right_ in front of them. Kyouraku didn't know _who_ to believe on that one.

Going back up to the black board, Kyouraku looked at the clock. He had about 5 minutes before the period was over. He wrote the assignment on the board and tapped on the board with a knuckle. Those who were used to his methods—which had to be all but _one_ student—looked up and wrote their assignment down to remember to do it later.

Hotaru didn't even look at the board. Kyouraku sighed and wondered what Hotaru thought of him to act like this in his class.

Okay, so he had a scruffy beard and brown hair in a ponytail with brown eyes and he wore a Hawaiian shirt over his unbuttoned collar dress shirts. He wore Birkenstocks instead of dress shoes and gave out candy on pop quizzes. He was in his 30s but he acted like he was in his 20s or younger. He wasn't a bad teacher but he could be strict and a little demanding when it came right down to it but he really was a nice guy.

No, it wasn't _his_ problem but it was more like Hotaru's…it was more like she was damaged in some way that couldn't be figured out by one person alone. Maybe he could figure it out if he spoke to Jyushiro Ukitake. Yeah, that would _definitely_ help.

The bell rang loud and sharp, nearly making the man jump in surprise. Hotaru was still at her seat, completely unshaken. She just stood as everyone filed out and shouldered her messenger bag, picking up Horo's math book off her desk. She moved down her aisle at her own pace, letting her fellow classmates surge through the doors.

"Oh, Miss Senju, I'd like a moment of your time after school, if you wouldn't mind." Kyouraku told the girl, getting her to stop momentarily at the sound of her name. She gave no response, just started walking again. _I hope Jyushiro's up to helping me figure out what that kid's problem is. I don't think I could handle the rest of the year like this._

_

* * *

_

Yes--I made Kyouraku the math teacher! It was stronger than me! I HAD to do it!

So, plz, read and review!


	3. Third Period

Ah, third period. There was nothing quite like it. It was the 3rd longest hour of the day, the first and second being 4th and 6th.

**Harpygirl91:** I is addicting....? Wow...Good to know! Yeah, Kyouraku's the math teacher. Just wait until you see who's teaching 3rd.

**Moi Fah:** Nuu-chan, please! I'm glad you like it! Kaz and work together sometimes and she helped me in planning this one. Wait until you see who the PE teacher is!

* * *

-

-**Chapter 3: Third Period**-

-

"Man, this recipe's a little complicated, isn't it?" Kagome Higurashi muttered, looking at the print out that had been at their station.

"Yeah, makes you wonder what Miss Sati was thinking, assigning this to us, huh?" Ino Yamanaka replied, looking over the other girl's shoulder. "Do you think that we can do it in one period alone?"

"It would help if you two didn't stand there like idiots." Anna Koriyama remarked, retying her apron behind her. Soft ticking got the 3 girls' attention and they looked over at their last group member.

"Hey, you should wait for us, Senju!" Kagome half whined. "We're supposed to work as a group, y'know."

Hotaru didn't say anything as she whipped whatever was in her bowl with little effort. She wasn't even looking at what she was doing, more like a few hairs passed the edge of the bowl, her attention else where.

"I suppose you'd need the dry ingredients ready when you get to that stage." Anna replied as she pulled another bowl towards her. "I'll get started on that. Since Senju is obviously working on the topping, that means that we should handle everything else."

"No complaints from me." Ino said, holding up her hands to prove she wasn't going to argue. She knew Hotaru well enough to _not_ get in the other girl's way. After all, they _had_ known each other since they were kids and when Hotaru took the lead, it was rare but always prosperous.

However, it appeared that Hotaru was going to do _all_ the cooking today after Kagome accidentally spilled the sugar she was measuring out for Anna. Hotaru just brushed her aside and out of the way, getting to work with the other ingredients as her last project sat in its bowl with its wisk. Anna wasn't going to fight with her over something like this and backed off when Hotaru took her bowl away. Ino was _worried_ for the silent girl. She wanted to help but if she interfered, she could make Hotaru mess up and that _never_ ended well.

"As happy as I am that you're giving your group a break, Miss Senju, this _is_ a group assignment." Sati gently scolded, stopping at the girls' station on her way to check everyone's progress.

"She's just feeling a bit independent today." Ino replied with a smile. "It's totally okay. We don't mind, since she obviously knows the recipe better than we do."

Sati nodded with a smile and moved on but she was bothered by the energy Hotaru was giving off—or rather, the energy she _wasn't_ giving off. All the other students gave off pure living energy and being sensitive to that, Sati was always in a good mood but Hotaru…she gave off some _very_ different feelings. It was like she wasn't really there and Sati didn't mean the way Hotaru kept her expression the same or never spoke.

Hotaru was _literally_ not really _there_.

That realization made Sati stop and look over her shoulder, back at Hotaru. The girl was mixing the dry ingredients with the wet and her group was off to the side, talking amongst themselves while she worked. How could someone so fluid and obviously present not really be standing before Sati's eyes? Was it just because Hotaru never spoke in class or expressed herself like the others did? Or was it that Hotaru kept to herself and didn't talk to anyone because she was determined to keep her high scores and sparkling grades?

No, the other teachers, they said Hotaru never did work in their classes and yet she had the highest scores and grades without trying. She never spoke, never even smiled or did anything in any of her classes, except for look out the window.

And what could be so interesting out those windows? Could she see something that no one else could? Did she know something that no one else knew? Was there something out there that demanded attention that this lone girl could hear these demands and obeyed?

Was this girl even _human_?

No, she could think that way about one of her students. Hotaru was human, just quiet.

…Right?

* * *

Short but then again, in cooking class, all you want to do is EAT and not actually cook....though, I think Kagome's cooking would be considered toxic waste. Have you seen the episode where she's cooking for her school's cultural festival?

I mean, seriously--blech!

Okay, Read and Review please. I gotta find me a PE teacher.


	4. Fourth Period

Chapter 4! THe LONG overdue chappie has finally arrived.

Reviews:

**Harpygirl91:** Sati is one of the shamans in Shaman King manga. I'm not sure if she's in the Anime. It's been a while since I've seen it.

**Moi Fah:** With Michiru and Makoto around? I'm sure they'd make sure that Hotaru could cook. But that is a very valid point.

**Dark Queen Helba:** Uh, no, sorry. Not Oh! My Goddess. Sati's actually from the Shaman King Manga. And as for the PE teacher, I already had Batou as the PE teacher for the boys before I even put up chapter 3! However, I needed one for the girls, so that's where I was stuck...and then it hit me like Chouji falling from the sky--Anko.

* * *

Ghost in the Shell: SAC/Full Metal Alchemist

Mai-Hime/Shaman King/Death Note/Code Geass

Sailor Moon/Fushigi Yuugi/Naruto/Bleach/Karas/InuYasha

**"The Blood of the Herald"**

**-**

**-Chapter 4: Fourth Period-**

**-**

"Come on, you damn maggots! Get the lead out!" Batou snapped at the boys, watching them sluggishly jog around the school's track. "I said '_run_'! That ain't running! Get your asses in gear!"

The breeze tugged at his blond ponytail as he watched his PE class speed up a little. It was kind of humiliating to have your students act like slugs while Anko Mitarashi had the _girls_ practically doing double time around that same track. Batou pushed his circular sunglasses higher on his nose.

"The _ladies_ are whipping your sorry asses!" Batou shot at the males, trying to get the gender rivalry kicked up to make the guys pick it up. He watched it work with only one person, Sasuke Uchiha and that was because of one person: Hotaru Senju.

For some reason, there was something like a rivalry between the two. Hotaru never reacted to it but Sasuke always did, every single time. And it kicked in again when Hotaru ran passed Sasuke and the 2nd Uchiha Batou had the mixed pleasure of teaching tore after her. This pulled Naruto Uzumaki, Ichigo Kurosaki, Kiba Inuzuka, Renji Abarai and a few others into the run as well, none of them wanting to be outdone by the others.

"Come on! Senju's whoopin' your collective asses!" Batou shouted at his boys. That got a few more boys started to run, seeing that they would be left behind if they didn't pick up the pace.

"Sad day when you're the one yellin' an' I'm the quiet one." Anko said, coming to stand beside the male PE teacher. "Ain't it, Batou?"

"Yeah, it is." Batou agreed. "What's with Senju? The kid doesn't even look out of breath."

"She's my star athlete." Anko muttered with a sigh. "She plays hard, runs hard and works hard. You wouldn't know it to look at her but she can climb a rope with just her arms alone and do over 100 push ups on her thumb in one period."

"You're shittin' me. That little girl can do all that?" Batou snorted. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it or not, she's on her 15th lap."

Batou looked at Anko surprised. "They're only suppose to do 8."

"Say 'go' and she goes. Say 'stop' and she stops." Anko replied with another sigh. "I'm gonna have to stop her soon. She'll piss off the elder kids and then there'll be another fight, with Senju to see the principal and the kids in the infirmary. Again."

Batou felt bad for Otoha, the school's doctor. He had a whole filing cabinet of the injuries Hotaru had caused and just putting down "fight injuries" in the students' files was more common than anything else like the flu or a bloody nose. Whenever someone got int a fight with Hotaru, she always walked away unscathed and untouched while her opponents were usually on the ground. It had become _so_ common place that Batou had lost track of just how many broken arms, ribs, jaws, legs, collar bones and noses he had seen in the past 2 years alone and don't get him started on the _bruises_.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Batou watched Sasuke pull even with Hotaru and snap something at her in a low voice before the toe of his sneaker caught the paved track and he tripped. The kid looked a bit dazed as he managed to get into a roll before landing on his back with a groan and pushed himself up. Hotaru didn't stop. Hell, she didn't even look _back_.

"Hey, Senju—bring it in!" Anko called out. Hotaru instantly stopped running, not even slowing down. She just _stopped_ and walked off the track. She came right up to Anko, like a good little girl, for her next assignment. "15 an' half laps, Senju. You still hold our record." Hotaru's expression didn't change. "All right, go…go work on chin-ups for a bit. Wait a sec before you start. I'll get you a counter."

Hotaru didn't say a word. She just went over to the chin-up bars.

Anko scanned the small collection of aids off to the side. "Kouzaki!"

"Yes, ma'am?" Kallen Kouzaki asked, jogging over.

"Go be Senju's counter. I don't want her to break the bar like last time." Anko instructed.

"You got it." Kallen nodded and hustled over to the tallest chin up bar, where Hotaru was already hanging from.

When Kallen reached the younger girl, Hotaru put one of her hands behind her back and bent her legs. Batou was surprised to watch Hotaru effortlessly do pull-ups instead of the chin-ups Anko had instructed her to do. It _shocked_ the man to see she was lifting her own body so her collar bones were above the bar itself.

"Shit." Batou muttered. "Kid should be in the special forces."

* * *

Funny you should mention that, Batou....

So, uh, Lunch next or one more class before Lunch?

Plz Read and Review!


End file.
